BROSSARD – Residents are upset that a major development project will reduce an 18-hole golf course that has been around since the 1960’s to just nine-holes.
They have created a group, eager to stop the development and presented their case at a City Council meeting Monday night.
The golf course was originally independently owned but the city bought it and then sold it to a housing developer in 1999 for $2 million dollars.
Since then, thousands of housing units have been built, and there are plans for many more unless the group is successful to stop it.
“Here in Brossard, what we miss is green space,” said Jacques Veillette, a member of the movement for the preservation of the golf course.
The group is lobbying against plans to destroy wetlands on the course to make way for more homes.
At the time of the original sale, 100% of the land purchased by the developer was zoned for construction.
Three years later, Brossard’s new urban planning regulations reduced that area to one third, but that’s what’s worrying Veillette.
There have long been fears that the golf course might shrink.
In October 2001, an article published in the Brossard Éclair, a local newspaper, cited a spokesperson for the developer is quoted saying that ”within 15 years, the 18-hole course could become a 9-hole.”
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Veillette insists the developer hasn’t always been open about their plans.
“People were saying OK, it could be nine holes, it could be closed down, but they won’t destroy everything,” said Veillette.
Each year, roughly 25,000 golfers use this course.
If plans go ahead for a residential development on this site, golfers may have to start looking for a new place to putt.
One of the golf course’s regulars, Jean Doré, fears plans to reduce the size of the course may lead to its disappearance altogether.
It won’t stop him from playing the game though, he says he and his friends will just take their business somewhere else.
“It’s sad because the golf course is part of our environment,” he said.
“It’s close to home and condos, well, they’re everywhere.”
Global News attempted to contact both the developer and the City of Brossard, but no one was available for comment.
However, they made an announcement in the town’s local papers last week explaining there was still a lot of work to do before breaking ground.
In the meantime, Veillette has been circulating a petition to stop development of the golf course before the project gets in full swing.
He already has over 3000 signatures, and expects more to come.
“We want to show the mayor, the city and the developing industry that people are against it, that it’s not just Jacques Veillette, it’s a lot of people,” he said.
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